Pegboard
by Herascat
Summary: When Truman breaks up with Casey, Derek realizes something and makes his move.


Disclaimer: I don't own Life with Derek; I just was playing with a pegboard one day and couldn't get this plot out of my head. I'm not sure where in the timeline it fits but Truman has just broken up with Casey after they've been dating about two or three months.

* * *

Up over the second from the top and pull a peg out, put it on the desk, move another peg and pull another out. The process had been repeated about a million times and Casey still hadn't gotten it down to one. She set up the board again. Then the pegs were moving again and Alanis Morissette was blaring even louder than before. Stupid boys and their stupid inability to be decent human beings, was all that ran through her head as she jabbed more viciously at the pegboard.

Derek listened to angry women yelling through the wall separating his and Casey's rooms for over an hour before sitting up. The pacing started shortly after the song finished as he wondered what he could do to make her feel better.

Word had spread through the school earlier like wildfire that Truman had tossed Casey to the curb. A pit had formed in the pit of his stomach at the news and he had actually felt sorry for his Casey. _His _Casey…it had twisted a knife in his gut as he realized that he was jealous and pissed beyond reason at the bastard who hurt her.

As he drove Casey home there was no conversation in the Prince. He couldn't think of anything to say that would make the dejected look disappear from her face so he didn't say anything at all. Coming home to an empty house didn't help issues at all. And that's how he ended up pacing his room, trying to think of something-anything to make her feel better.

He finally left the room to slip downstairs and grab one of his bottles from his stash behind the frozen dinners. With the vodka safely tucked into his pocket he went up to Casey's door, the music was still blaring.

She didn't hear the door open behind her as she set up the board again. Two moves in a hand reached over her shoulder, and in eleven jumps there was only one peg left. "You cheated." Casey would recognize the scent of Derek anywhere, as if the hands weren't a dead giveaway.

"Nope, it's easy." He turned her chair around so that she was facing him. "I'm sorry about Truman. He was an idiot."

Casey didn't look at him, rather she looked past him as she spoke. "I don't want to talk about it." Then her eyes focused on his face. "I bet you couldn't do it again."

She should have known better than to challenge him. "Ok, if I win you have to take a shot." The bottle was placed in front of her.

"And what if you can't do it?" She was already setting up the board.

Derek rolled his eyes. "You can pick anything you want if I don't win." He was already moving pegs around on the board and in less time than before he had only one peg left. He looked up to see Casey down at least two or three shots in one gulp. "You wanted me to win." It wasn't a question.

A wry laugh was the only response that he got as she lifted the bottle to her lips again. This drink was just a sip; she could already feel her last shot burning in her belly. Derek grabbed the bottle out of her hand and took a swig himself before capping it and throwing it across the room.

"Talk to me, Case. I don't like that you feel bad enough about this breakup to drink." He reached out to take her hand. It was so soft against his callused skin. It was an abnormal gesture, but if Casey noticed she didn't day anything.

"He started telling people that he…that he took my virginity and I found out. I confronted him this morning and he called me a prude and said that if I wouldn't put out that he wasn't going to keep dating me. So I told him that it wasn't going to happen and it was over. See now you have all sorts of ammunition to use against me." She tried to pull her hand away from his.

Derek tightened his grip. "I would never do that to you. I've never done anything that awful, have I?"

"You've done some pretty awful things. Why does it matter to you anyway?" She could feel the alcohol dulling her senses slightly and her mood improving as warmth seeped into her blood. "I shouldn't have had any of that." She motioned to the bottle across the room.

He could see her pupils dilating and a flush spread across her neck. "I just want you to be happy now, Casey. And don't ask me since when, because I don't know." The hand that he wasn't already holding her with moved to stroke her cheek. She leaned into his hand.

"Why are you being so nice to me?" Her lips brushed up against his palm.

He couldn't help but start at the feel of his petal soft lips on his flesh. "I just told you. I can't stand to see you cry." He moved his hand down to her shoulder and squeezed. "I just really want you to be happy."

She lunged at him, wrapping her arms around his torso and burying her face into his neck. "I wish Truman had been more like you."

If he thought that her lips against his palm had been arousing, her breath at his neck was excruciating. He wrapped his arms around her and pressed her as close as was possible. "I thought you didn't like me, you never have in the past."

Casey knew that she shouldn't say anything, but being slightly tipsy was making her tongue loose. "I always like you, you just annoy me sometimes. More than sometimes most of the time…" The smell of Derek's neck was driving her crazy and the sight of that unblemished flesh was only making it worse.

Derek pondered her words, for a moment content to have her in his arms. When he felt her teeth sink into his neck the tenuous hold he had on his control snapped and he kissed her. His hands sank into her hair to anchor her to him and he dipped his tongue into her mouth to savor her honeyed essence.

She couldn't have helped kissing him if her life had depended on it. Her hands drifted up his shoulders until she could grab two fistfuls of hair and clench the strands in her fingers. Nibbling on his lips, Casey moved to push him back onto the bed.

Ripping his lips away from hers Derek panted. "Are you drunk right now?" He felt her fingers moving to the buttons on his shirt and saw her shake her head no. "Are you sure? Because you wouldn't sleep with Truman but here you are throwing yourself at me." She was off of him in a heartbeat.

"Excuse me!? I didn't want to sleep with him because it wouldn't have meant anything and now you're accusing me of being drunk because you don't want to sleep with me. Well screw you!" She was at the door but before she could walk out he pushed it closed.

Derek pulled her back against his chest, her ass pressed flush against his erection. "You think that this means I don't want to sleep with you." He ground himself against her and listened to her moan.

Casey threw her head back and let Derek nibble on her neck and lead them back to the bed. She turned around and kissed him soundly as he lowered her back to the bed. Buttons came undone and shirts were discarded in record time. Casey felt her nipples bead as they rubbed against Derek's chest through her bra and Derek moved from her lips down her neck. She could feel him bite her right under her collarbone, hard enough to bruise but not enough to draw blood.

Lace was pulled to the side and Derek sucked her nipple into his mouth to circle it with his tongue. Casey's hands wove back through his hair and pressed his mouth closer to her. He smiled against her skin.

Fingers danced over Casey's sides making her giggle before they dipped into her pants and made her gasp. The tight was fit but he could just get to the edge of her curls and feel the heat and dampness just beyond his reach. His hand receded and yanked at the button and zipper and tugged her pants and panties over her hips.

Heat flooded her body as Derek settled his shoulders between her legs and she felt him blow on her damp curls. "Derek, please."

He could feel a shiver run up Casey's body as his tongue licked the moisture from her lips, then plunged into her depths before circling her clit and sucking on the little nub. Her muscles clenched as his tongue circled and plunged ripping his name from her mouth along with moans that had him wanting to forgo the foreplay.

Casey thrashed her head about on the pillow as he held her hips down and plunged two fingers into her core. "Please…please Derek." Her fingers tugged at his hair, wanting to feel his body over hers.

Though he wanted to stay where he was, Derek moved up Casey's body and finally kissed her lips. He ground himself against the burning flesh under him as he cupped her creamy breasts through the only piece of clothing she still had on. She had it off instantly to let him feel her soft skin.

The throbbing length grinding against her made Casey whimper into his mouth and rotate her hips for more friction. "I need you…please."

"You keep begging me and I might just torture you for the hell of it." His voice was raspy but he belied his threat by positioning himself. As he started sliding in her muscles clenched forcing him to take a deep breath. Derek's lips moved from her mouth to trace her pebbled nipples and he could feel her relax. He slid himself fully inside.

To keep from screaming as pain lanced through her, Casey clamped her teeth onto Derek's shoulder. Derek kept still, for which she was grateful.

Her muscles constricted around him as if testing the limits of his control. And before long he knew he would have to move or risk her first time being over far sooner than it should be. Her head fell back against her pillows and a whimper drew his eyes to her face. There was still pain etched into her brow but her little pants hitting his cheek let him know that she was feeling pleasure too.

Casey moaned as he started gently thrusting. Her nails imbedded themselves into his back and her hips lifted to meet his. She felt his lips moving over her neck and barred it even more to him.

When he lifted her hips, Casey writhed under him scratching his back and leaving welts that only served to fuel his desire. Derek's hand traced over her skin from shoulder to hip then delved between their joined bodies to the bundle of nerves and his fingers danced over the nubbin. He saw Casey's mouth open and kissed her urgently to swallow her scream. Her pulsing muscles pulled him over the edge.

Every muscle in Casey's body felt like mush as Derek collapsed next to her and pulled her into his arms. "Derek…"

"Hmmm?" He propped himself up on an elbow to look down on her as she struggled for words. Something she had said came to him. "Did this mean something? You said sex with Truman wouldn't mean anything so did this mean something?"

She still was silent for a moment, looking into his eyes before her gaze dropped. "I already told you that I liked you. I always felt like there was this strange…chemistry between us." She put her palm over his mouth to stop him from talking. "I think that I started falling for you that first day I met you." She buried her head in his chest, hoping for just a few more minutes of being near him.

He could feel the tension in Casey's body, she was dreading his reaction. "We work well together, whether its dancing, plotting…sex." Her blush heated his skin. He pulled her head up to plant a kiss on her lips. "I felt it too."

The kiss heated up and Casey felt all of her thoughts start to disintegrate. She pulled away with a gasp. "George and mom are going to be home soon!" Casey scrambled out of the bed, still naked and stared pulling clothes out of her closet.

When she bent over, Derek groaned. He could see her thighs still shinning with their combined juices. "You better get those pants on fast, or else we won't be going anywhere for a while."

Turning, Casey glared at him. "You need to get dressed and get out, they can't know about this." She watched as he got out of bed and started picking up discarded clothes.

He was dressed in minutes and stood at her open door watching her pull on a shirt. "This isn't over." Her flushed face regarded him questioningly. "I won't just let you go." The front door slammed.

Casey watched as he started walking away from her doorway. "I'm counting on it." It didn't matter if he heard her or not, she was ready for him.


End file.
